ROOKIE RB’S TO CONSIDER FOR 2006 FANTASY LEAGUES

The 2006 NFL Draft as you know is now in the books.  Additionally, some key players have moved to other teams via free agency and of course that affects the landscape in fantasy football.  With that in mind, here are a few thoughts and extremely premature predictions to keep in mind as you soon begin to contemplate the upcoming fantasy season. 

This week we will focus upon what we believe to be the top rookie fantasy running backs in 2006 and how the ebbs and flows of this offseason will impact your fantasy draft board.  During the weeks ahead, we will look at the rookie quarterbacks, wide receivers, and TE’s as well as more free agent moves which we expect as teams shape their rosters. 

Let’s start with the most controversial move of all, the Houston Texans passing on Reggie Bush.

Only time will tell if drafting Mario Williams was the right thing to do. The Texans were in a no win situation in which they seemingly had to take Bush.  Apparently, they had some reservations or so it seemed.

Consider this – the 1969 Buffalo Bills were in a similar situation. They had the worst offense in football and O J Simpson was the most hyped player coming out of college in the history of the NFL draft. We all know the history.  He ran for 2,000 yards in 1973, had a tremendous career and landed in the Hall of Fame. The only problem is the Bills played in only one playoff game when Simpson was with them, a first round loss in 1974.

Now just two picks later in the same draft, new Steelers coach Chuck Noll grabs a defensive tackle from tiny North Texas State, Joe Greene. The rest is also history.  The Steelers built their defense and dynasty around Greene. The Bills with Simpson could score, but failed to ever field a decent defense during his time in
Buffalo . If the Bills had to do it all over, would they have passed on Simpson or rebuild with Joe Greene? 

Who knows but one has to wonder if that scenario was not on the mind of some veteran Texans’ front office people.

Speaking of Reggie Bush, here is fast look at our rankings of the top running backs from this year’s draft. The rankings are in order of who we feel will make the most positive fantasy impact in 2006.

1. DeAngelo Williams,
   Carolina Panthers. Just like the Texans, we also like another player ahead of Reggie Bush. We are not saying that Williams is better than Bush but his ability to make a fantasy impact this year certainly is. Williams will enter camp as the number one back. Remember the NFC championship game in
   Seattle ?  The Panthers had to start Nick Goings at running back. Enough said!  DeShaun Foster who puts up good numbers when healthy only started five games last year again due to injury. Foster will spell Williams and play on some passing downs but Williams will be the guy for a very good football team.

    

2. Reggie Bush,
   New Orleans Saints. Bush plays as if he is on another level. He had 1,740 yards and 16 touchdowns on 200 carries in 2005. He averaged an unbelievable 8.7 yards per carry while carrying the rock just fifteen times per game. Without a doubt he is the most gifted running back coming out of college in a long time, but will he get enough touches his rookie year to make a major fantasy impact. With Deuce McAllister around and now healthy we see Bush not getting more carries this year than he did in college. He will score and make an impact, but probably not as much DeAngelo Williams in 2006.

    

3. Laurence Maroney, New England Patriots. The Patriots are not publicly saying it but Corey Dillon’s playing time will be reduced this year. The injuries are beginning to pile up. The pounding he took in
   Cincinnati is beginning to take its toll. Maroney scored 10 touchdowns last year and averaged over 5 yards per carry for
   Minnesota . The scouts say his speed separates him from other backs. Tom Brady will get the Patriots in the Gold Zone enough to give Maroney a chance at double digit touchdowns this year.

    

4. Joseph Addai,
   Indianapolis Colts, With Edgerrin James gone off to the desert, Addai appears to be James’ heir apparent, or so it seems. Addai had ten touchdowns and averaged 4.9 yards per carry last year with LSU. He has good pass catching abilities and coupled with his running skills, he is the logical choice to take James’ place and he will have the chance at double digit touchdowns. Addai has the talent and the Colts have the offense to make it happen for him in 2006. The problem is, Addai was never asked to block at LSU and former 1,000 yard rusher Dominic Rhodes is still very much in the picture. Addai is more talented than Rhodes , but his playing time will be dictated by his progress in camp picking up blocking techniques and schemes. Protecting Peyton Manning is and always will be the most important aspect of the Colts’ offense.

    

5. LenDale White
   ,
   Tennessee
   Titans. White’s speed and power give him the potential to be one of best backs in the league in the near future. At USC he scored a school record 57 touchdowns. That alone puts him in the elite fantasy rookie running back corps. White though has two major obstacles that his talent alone may not be able to overcome during his rookie year. The first is, he does not catch the ball very well, he will have to prove to Jeff Fisher in camp that he can adapt to that aspect of a professional offense before he becomes the starter. The second is that both Chris Brown and Travis Henry are still in the picture. Just like Joseph Addai there is no question White is more talented than the incumbents yet the question remains, “How long will it take White to learn what he needs to become the starter?”